ARMY AL&T
Another entity that was very useful before the drawdown began was the tire shop. This shop received unserviceable wheel assemblies from units; rebuilt them using run flats, new rubber tires, and rims (if serviceable); and then returned them for use in combat opera- tions. The tire shop averaged 200–300 assembly repairs weekly, improving the combat readiness of both brigades in theater. Additionally, wheel assemblies were sent to Afghanistan until the tire shop at FRA-A was operational. The FRA-I tire shop has now been relocated to Qatar, where it will be used to support operations in both OIF and OEF theaters.
The vetronics shop at FRA-I was used as a station to diagnose and repair com- mon chassis electronic line-replaceable units (LRUs). This capability was ex- tremely important at FRA-I since LRUs did not have to be sent back to the vendor for repair. This saved shipping fees, time, and the cost of replacement LRUs. The vetronics shop, which is now located in Qatar, saved the govern- ment $833,484 in 2009.
The remote weapons systems (RWS) shop, also part of FRA-I, has been repositioned as well. One station was relocated to FRA-A in support of OEF, and one station was relocated to Qatar to provide continuing support to OIF. The RWS shop screens systems for no evidence of a fault (NEOF) and troubleshoots and repairs the systems. Technicians diagnosed and repaired
Although the drawdown signals a shift in priorities and mission, FRA-I will continue reducing its footprint while supporting the units still in theater until no longer necessary.
RWS for a savings of $2,939,404 in 2009. There was also a mobile gun sys- tem (MGS) shop located at FRA-I that tested and screened LRUs for NEOFs and conducted repairs that saved the government more than $100,000. This capability is being relocated to the United States.
In October 2009, support that shifted to Afghanistan included a welding trailer, a forklift, eight pallets of parts, tents, a generator, and 11 FUPPs, until FRA-A had its component repair facil- ity up and running. The component repair facility at FRA-A received 15 FUPPs from FRA-I to help with sup- port until it could operate at normal capacity. There were other internal rea- sons that made making FRA-A a mirror twin of FRA-I difficult. The infrastruc- ture was quite different, as Kandahar, Afghanistan, where FRA-A is located, was yet to be developed to the same level as JBB in Iraq. This made planning especially important so that capabilities did not shrink in Iraq until the full capability existed in Afghanistan.
December 2009 marked a turning point for setting concrete timelines for the drawdown of FRA-I. All sections and personnel were tasked to inventory all gear, parts, and equipment, and to identify items that were over the autho- rized limit, so these excess parts and equipment could be better repositioned to support all units in both theaters of combat operations.
GDLS workers prep a container for shipment at a sup- ply warehouse in FRA-I. (Photo by Lynden Lawson.)
16 JULY –SEPTEMBER 2010
FRA-I received more than 110,000 parts in the last 6 months and shipped more than 170,000 parts to units in Qatar, the EDC, Afghanistan, and back to Auburn, WA. Further, FRA-I has
shipped more than 50,000 parts in the last 2 months as part of the responsible drawdown. FRA-I also identified items no longer needed that could be turned into the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, so that other units had the opportunity to use these items in their own production and repair facil- ities. FRA-I has sent out more than 20 conex boxes of rubber tires alone and several more conex boxes full of slat armor that will be reconstituted in Auburn and assembled into complete sets.
The FRA-I mission continues to sup- port the units and, most importantly, the Soldier in the field who is con- ducting combat operations. Although the drawdown signals a shift in priori- ties and mission, FRA-I will continue reducing its footprint while supporting the units still in theater until no longer necessary. To date, the FRA-I foot- print has been reduced by more than one-third and the RTF fleet reduced by more than 50 percent; meanwhile, the FRA-A capability to support OEF con- tinues to grow to support vehicles there. “We Support the Troops,” is not just a saying on the sides of our shipping crates; it is the “plan of the day!”
LYNDEN LAWSON is employed by Jacobs Technology ASG as the Stryker Program Manager Representative in Iraq. He holds a B.S. in management from the University of Phoenix and an M.S. in homeland security and safety from National University.
GREGORY HILL is an Equipment Specialist on the Stryker MGS at the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command.
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